“A will finds a way.”–Orison Swett Marden
I often go to Orison S. Marden for quotes and inspiration. Feeling particularly stuck, I went to a favorite source (brainyquote.com), and the above quote was at the top of the list of Marden quotes. It doesn’t make getting unstuck any easier. It doesn’t give me any guidance for getting unstuck. It does remind me, however, to persist.
The advice to persist is unsettling—especially the longer we are feeling stuck—but it does remind us to not quit. If there is a will a way can be found.
I often must remind myself of Dr. Robert H. Schuller’s “power of possibility thinking.” It is a proactive alternative to the classic “positive thinking.” A goal is merely a desire if all one does is think about it. A goal demands action. A goal requires a plan of action and a willingness to work toward its accomplishment. When the progress is slow, persistence is required. When progress is stuck, a new plan of action is demanded.
Possibility thinking requires that one breakdown the problem into chunks. For example, if an entrepreneur needs a million dollars, they can look for one person to invest one million dollars, two persons to invest $500,000,…, ten people to invest $100,000,…, 100 people to invest $10,000,…, or one million people to invest $1. Likewise, our problems might require one extraordinary action or countless ordinary actions to get us unstuck.
I have often shared a phrase that I learned decades ago from a pastor, Dale Schurter, when I lived in New York. The son of an Oklahoma farmer would tell us that he learned from his father that “’Can’t’ never done nuthin’.” Indeed, that was the topic of a keynote talk that I gave just last week. Truth be told, when I am called upon to share the advice, it is often at a time when I most need to hear it. (Funny how the Universe in like this.)
Feeling stuck? I am, too. We all feel it from time to time. What are we doing to get unstuck?
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!